


Ghosts

by LtTanyaBoone



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 19:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtTanyaBoone/pseuds/LtTanyaBoone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ziva pays Gibbs a visit in his basement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghosts

**Disclaimers:** NCIS, the rights to the show and its characters do not belong to me. No money was made by this.  
 **Spoilers:** everything and nothing  
 **Pairing:** none

 **Warning:**  character death

* * *

He grabbed the bottle, contemplating drinking straight from it, but then reached for a mug and filled it before taking a sip of the bourbon. It was good stuff. Ziva had given him the bottle for Christmas last year and he hadn’t opened it until now. Maybe he had waited for some special occasion. And what a special one this was.

“I never figured out how you get these out of your basement.”

With a deep breath, he turned around, and sure enough, there she was. Her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing cargo pants and the shirt she had shown up with at work this morning. She looked just like the last time he had seen her, over six hours ago. Like nothing had happened between then and now.

He watched as she ran her hand over the beam of the boat he had started building a few weeks ago.

“Are you going to name this one after me?” she asked him, her voice soft as she turned around to look at him. Gibbs just watched her, raising the mug to his lips again and taking a long sip.

The Israeli’s lips twitched into a sad smile and she rubbed her hands together, slowly crossing the space between them.

“It’s not your fault, Gibbs.” she muttered, looking up into his face, her dark eyes slowly filling with tears. “Just like it wasn’t McGee’s, or Tony’s or Abby’s or Ducky’s or Jimmy’s.”

“Should’ve gone with you.” he answered hoarsely.

“And what would that have accomplished?” Ziva responded. “Nothing. I was ready, Gibbs. I have been half my life. It’s okay.”

The older man slowly shook his head.

“No. No, it’s not.” he protested, watching her lips twitch briefly. It wasn’t okay. It hadn’t been supposed to happen, not like this, especially not like this. It had just been a routine check on a far-fetched possibility of a lead for their latest case.

“It wouldn’t have been years ago,” Ziva said, “but it was now. Because of you. You, and Tony, and Tim, and Abby, and Ducky, and Jimmy. Because I came here when I was so lost, and you took me in. You guided me, and for that, I am forever grateful. I had a home here, and people that I loved, who loved me back. And it’s okay, because I’ve known that, thanks to you.”

He watched her reach up and touch his cheek. It felt strange, like a soft breeze ghosting over his skin…

“You watch out for them. Tim, and Tony. Because they’ll think they could have done anything, and they need to hear differently. They need to hear it from you, Gibbs, because I can’t tell them.”

He swallowed thickly before nodding once.

“Say it.” she insisted, attempting to glare at him, even when a tear slipped down her cheek.

“I’ll tell them.”

“And make them believe it, too.” Ziva demanded, drawing a deep breath before she stepped away from him. “Want me to tell them anything?”

Gibbs swallowed thickly before shaking his head.

“No. They already know.” he croaked out, causing Ziva to smile again as she nodded.

“Yes, they do.” she agreed before turning and making for the steps. Gibbs watched her image grow fainter the farther up she went, before she disappeared completely at conquering the final stair.

With a shake of his head, he took another sip of his drink. Ducky had insisted on him getting his head checked out after a piece of wood from the explosion had knocked him out. He’d brushed his friend off, telling him he was fine. And really, he was, at least physically. Emotionally, now that was a completely different thing. Though this wasn’t the first time he saw the dead, and he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last. But to be honest, he hadn’t thought he’d see her. After Kate had been killed, the ghost he’d seen of her had been sporting the entrance wound of the bullet. Given that Ziva had died trying to disarm an explosive device, he’d figured she wouldn’t feature in his thoughts, not after Ducky had told Palmer not to look at the scene and call in another ME to deal with it.

At least he had that comfort. That the picture he had of Ziva, the one in his head that would forever stay with him, was one of her smiling, unharmed, laughing at McGee’s comment to one of DiNozzo’s taunts as she went to check out the shed while the others split out across the yard. He wondered briefly if she’d been afraid when she realized what was happening, if she had realized it at all. But that was probably not something he’d ever find out. And maybe that was a good thing, too.

_fin._

 


End file.
